Distinguished Visitor Anu Asnaani, assistant professor, department of psychology, College of Social and Behavioral Science, University of Utah

This talk will explore psychological mechanisms by which anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder are maintained and treated, the integration of technology into bettering detection and targeting of such symptoms, and the importance of using a cross-cultural and diversity lens for this work. Importantly, a series of studies will be presented on these intersecting topics that are conducted in “real world” community settings and represent populations from diverse demographic (race, age, and gender) backgrounds. Challenges to this work, and future directions for ongoing examination of these constructs, will be discussed.

Anu Asnaani, Ph.D., is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who most recently served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, USA from 2013-2018 and Associate Director of the Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety from 2017-2018, which is a world-renowned research powerhouse for PTSD and anxiety disorders. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Boston University from 2007-2013, and her research focuses on understanding the underlying mechanisms of effective treatments for fear-based disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorder in community settings. This summer, Dr. Asnaani will be starting her own lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah where she will focus on the integration of technology in examining these mechanisms in diverse community settings.

Dr. Asnaani is particularly interested in expanding our understanding about how basic emotion processes (such as how we regulate strong emotions in the face of stressful life events) can be targeted to reduce negative impacts on mental health, and how we can do this for a greater diversity of individuals from a range of backgrounds and countries. To date, Dr. Asnaani has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on this area. Clinically, Dr. Asnaani has directly treated over 150 patients using cognitive behavioral therapy over the past decade, and has been the primary supervisor for over 25 therapists whom she has trained to treat a variety of mental health issues including anxiety/mood disorders, PTSD, substance use disorders, suicidality, and personality disorders. Dr. Asnaani has also been invited to deliver over 15 workshops and trainings for hundreds of mental health professionals such as lay counselors, social workers, and first responders, typically in the areas of recognizing and treating mental health dysfunction for providers in high schools/colleges, prison systems, community mental health programs, primary care settings, and graduate programs in clinical psychology both in the U.S. and elsewhere (e.g., Sweden, Japan and Saint Lucia).

Tea at 4:15 p.m.

Sponsored by the Department of Psychology in conjunction with the Distinguished Visitors Program